scrubs special election
by Ruth Stodghill
AGUILAR — It’s been a long time since Aguilar had a staffed utilities department. At the Dec. 7 regular meeting of the town’s Board of Trustees, Joseph Porras’ letter of resignation from the board backdated as effective Nov. 15 was unanimously approved, paving the way for him to step into one of two vacant utilities positions in Aguilar.
There was some confusion early in the meeting when, during public comment, Aguilar resident Robert Avila questioned the timing of the approval of Porras’s resignation from the board, as it came after Porras started his employment as a utility worker for the town of Aguilar in November. Trustee Monica Gauna responded, “His resignation was approved at the last meeting.”
Porras did not, in fact, resign at the October meeting of the town board, although he did state that he would resign immediately if offered the utilities position.
During his utilities report to the board of trustees, Porras shared that he had hit the ground running, working on water leaks and gas meters. He recently accompanied CIRSA on a walk-around of the town’s facilities and areas, and was given a list of items to correct before the next CIRSA visit. Top of the to-do list were much-needed repairs to the back garage door at the town’s shop. Porras also stated that the utilities department is having difficulty reading some of the town’s meters because the meters are not compatible with the devices used to read them. To overcome this obstacle, he recommended the town purchase universal touch reads at a cost of $1,100. The board requested that he bring bids for the new touch reads to the next council meeting.
Steam table to ethics complaints
During public comments, members of the community presented everything from pleas for donations to complaints of misconduct to the Board of Trustees.
First up, the town board approved a $50 donation for a PJs and Pizza with Santa event.
Aguilar resident Steve Montoya made a request to move or replace water meters at his family’s home, stating that they were incorrectly located. Mayor Donald Gonzales said that the city’s utilities department would take a look at the meters to assess the situation.
Debbie Scamahorn spoke to the council requesting a steam table be installed at the Community Center in order to warm senior meals. Mayor Gonzales stated that the town is working on a grant to obtain a steam table and install the needed electrical system required to install it in the building.
Vernon Thorn spoke to the board about the town’s Ordinance 284, which outlines a code of ethics the board is to follow. He alleged that the board isn’t following the mandates of the ordinance, and that ethics complaints go uninvestigated. He also questioned trustee Marc Piano’s continued position on the board, given his number of absences from board meetings.
Robert Avila questioned why several alleged incidents of violence against himself by trustee Piano haven’t been investigated as ethics violations by the council, despite being brought to the council’s attention. “That’s ok conduct for a council member? Would that be ok conduct for me to do on him?” asked Avila.
In other business
During the office report, town administrator Tyra Avila said the Dec. 12 special election for one of two vacant seats on the board of trustees was canceled because no interested parties picked up nomination packets. “No candidates picked up anything,” said Mayor Gonzales.
“Because you wouldn’t tell us when,” said Thorn. “I asked. I asked several times. When were those packets going to be allowed? What I was told was, ‘It’s complicated. We have to go to the calendar and count back 91 days.’”
Those interested in running for a council seat or for mayor in the regular April election can pick up nomination packets on Jan. 2.
In his projects report, Ken Torres said that the USDA has approved reimbursement of construction costs and attorney fees for the augmentation pond project. He also said that the ADA ramp has been completed at the Town Hall, and next on the docket is improved ADA parking at the building. Torres stated that he’s working on obtaining grants for the town’s water filtration and storage systems.
The board approved
the following measures:
• Roughnecks Saloon Liquor License
• Resolution 2023-12,1 – A resolution concerning the Low-Income Energy Assistance Act
• Affirmation of the following as official posting places for the Town of Aguilar for 2024: Town Hall Office front door, Post office, Town of Aguilar website (aguilarco.us), and Town of Aguilar Facebook page
• Affirmation to retain In-Bank of Trinidad and Colo Trust as depositories for the Town of Aguilar for 2024
• Affirmation to retain Mr. Garcia as Municipal Judge for 2024
• Affirmation to retain Mr. Buchner as Town Attorney for 2024
• Bills
